6 Celebs Who Hid Their Pregnancies While Filming

Some of the best actresses are known for their ability to transform both physically and mentally for roles (looking at you, Aileen Wuornos Charlize Theron). But, unlike us non-thespians, when a starlet becomes pregnant while playing a character who isn’t supposed to be with child, the physicality of a growing baby bump literally and figuratively can get in the way of the job at hand. From producers editing a script for Julia Roberts to set and costume designers calculating Kerry Washington’s scene placement and wardrobe, here are six celebrities who successfully hid their pregnancies while filming.

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ABC/Kelsey McNeal

1. Kerry Washington in ‘Scandal’ (Seasons 3 & 6)

From dressing Kerry Washington in capes to hiding her behind lamps, Shonda Rhimes did practically everything in her power to avoid writing the star's pregnancies into the Scandal storyline. The first obstacle arose in 2013 during season three, when Washington became pregnant with her first child, Isabelle; then two years later in 2016, during season six, the actress was pregnant with her second little one, Caleb. Washington’s growing bump convinced Rhimes and ABC to cut the season from 22 episodes to 16.

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ABC

2. Ellen Pompeo in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ (Season 6)

Remember when Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) donated her liver to her estranged father in season six of Grey’s Anatomy? The storyline was actually thought up to conceal Pompeo’s first pregnancy with her little girl, Stella Luna. Though the star attempted to cover her baby bump under baggy scrubs, the Grey’s writers eventually decided to pre-film her scenes and let the mama-to-be take maternity leave early.

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Focus Features

3. Reese Witherspoon in ‘Vanity Fair’

In the 2004 film Vanity Fair, Witherspoon plays a feisty British socialite, Becky Sharp, who rarely dons anything other than voluminous period dresses. During filming, Witherspoon disguised her five-month growing baby bump by strategically standing behind furniture and playing up her character’s wardrobe. “We’ve had a couple of scenes where my stomach was peeking out a bit, but we’ve found solutions,” Witherspoon told People when she was pregnant with her now 13-year-old son, Deacon.

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4. Sarah Jessica Parker in ‘Sex and the City’ (Season 5)

You may have noticed the fifth season of Sex and the City was a tad shorter than the other five seasons. That’s because producers reduced the season from 13 episodes to eight in light of SJP’s pregnancy with her son, James (14). From baby-doll dresses to oversize coats, the wardrobe department clearly enjoyed the challenge of hiding the petite star’s growing belly.

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5. Kate Winslet in ‘Divergent’

If you paid close attention to Winslet in her role as Jeanine Matthews in the 2014 film Divergent, then you may have noticed she was almost always holding an iPad or folder. Lo and behold, the Oscar-winning actress was five months pregnant with her son, Bear Blaze. During the six months she spent filming, the crew had to be strategic with camera angles and props to hide her growing midsection. What about those crazy-intense action scenes? Don’t worry, a stunt double stepped in for her.

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Warner Bros.

6. Julia Roberts in ‘Ocean’s Twelve’

During the 2004 production of Ocean’s Twelve, Julia Roberts learned she was pregnant with not one but two babies: twins Hazel and Phinnaeus Moder. Luckily, Roberts didn’t face much of challenge when it came to hiding her bump, because the producers happily wrote her pregnancy into the script. And then there were 14…